Sikorsky of the United States has been selected for supply of 16 multirole helicopters for the Indian Navy in a contract worth Rs. 6,000 crore, official sources said on Friday.
Commercial bids were opened on Thursday and as Sikorsky’s S-70B helicopter was the sole bid left in the fray after “partial ban” on the European company Finmeccanica, it was declared the winner, Defence Ministry sources informed.
Air Vice-Marshal (retd.) Arvind Walia, Sikorsky’s Regional Executive for India and South Asia, confirmed receiving an invitation for final negotiations from the Defence Ministry.
“We are looking for fruitful negotiations with the MoD and the Navy to deliver the product at the earliest to bolster the capabilities of the Navy” he told The Hindu .
A “partial ban” was imposed on Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland after the controversy over the Rs. 3,550-crore VVIP helicopter deal, in August this year. The partial ban meant the company would not be able to take part in any future defence deals, the Defence Acquisition Council clarified earlier.
Indian Navy, in 2008, floated a global tender for 16 multirole helicopters to operate from its warships with an option for eight more. Finmecccanica with its NH-90 and Sikrosky with S-70B were left in the evaluation which saw many claims and counter claims of deviation in the process.
S-70B is the naval variant of the US Army’s Black Hawk UH 60 helicopter. It can be used both for anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare.
Sources said the negotiations would be fast tracked as the Navy is in critical need of the helicopters.
